For most of us, the key to our hearts is through our stomachs with good food. If you’re like us and you enjoy exploring new, independent restaurants, you’ll love Cradle. Their menu changes with the seasons, as they use locally-grown, organic ingredients, which has helped them earn their eco-friendly crown. They also sell a number of sustainable products which will get you on the right path to lead a zero-waste lifestyle, so we can carve the way to a greener world together. We spoke to founders Holly and Christope to find out more.
Having owned a bakery in France together for 6 years, Christophe
and I decided to return to the UK for a new challenge – which is when we opened Cradle, a business with a new name and concept. We believed it was possible to build a successful and profitable business that was also ethical, sustainable, accessible, affordable and very much part of the local community. Sudbury just felt right to us, and businesses like Cradle shouldn’t just be exclusive to big cities.
Aux Deux Epis, was our certified organic bakery in France – it taught us the importance of organic farming with regards to sustainability, but becoming vegan was the strongest driving force for Cradle. We just felt that we could do more, and do better. We hoped that Cradle would encourage people to make better, more informed choices about the food they are buying, eating and throwing away. Registering as a Community Interest Company cemented our commitment to that.
Leading by example is our approach – we bring food production in-house to cut packaging and utilise waste ingredients. We also have an open kitchen so customers can see what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. I like to think that Cradle invokes curiosity and encourages conversation. We offer some eco products at cost price and we’ve got loads of interesting reading material available on our shelves. I’d like us to be able to inspire other businesses to make better choices when it comes to running their business, designing their menus and sourcing their produce.